Doctoral Project Abstract

Africa: A New Frontier for Leadership: A Focus on Sub-Saharan African Corporate Leadership

Peter Carlos Okantey

The concept of corporate leadership has not received much attention in terms of empirical research in most African countries. Several proposals, initiatives, ideas, training and development programs have been introduced to the continent to help bridge the gap between poor leadership practices and effective and efficient leadership training and development. Yet, it appears many leadership challenges still exist.

The challenge of effective and efficient leadership remains regardless of the progress being made in many parts of the continent. This begs the following questions; how can leaders of Africans institutions find lasting solutions to the leadership formation, development and sustainability challenge? What strategies can be used to identify potential and gifted leaders with the capacity to be trained to lead African countries and institutions to a desired future? Are there specific cultural, societal and community values that can facilitate and enhance the African quest for leadership formation and development? Can Africans borrow and adapt existing Western leadership philosophies for the leadership formation and development process? Would existing Western-based leadership concepts and models apply to the African leadership context? Are there established African-based leadership philosophies that can assist in this search for effective leaders across the continent?

The purpose of this book is to answer the above questions by providing a bridge and pathway to some of the solutions that can enhance the deep-seated hunger for efficient leadership across the African continent in light of current and future projected economic developments in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Africans must therefore strive to identify, develop and use indigenous African leadership values, concepts and models to facilitate and enhance the African leadership formation and development process as put forth in this book. This book is designed (with models, concepts and philosophies) to help train, develop and prepare a generation of emerging African corporate leaders.